A group of heavily armed Eastern Cape police raided a Kentbury farm near the Kei Road searching for four missing men now feared dead.
The farm belongs to prominent thatch businessman and farmer Stephen Bursey.
Bursey, who was said to be in Graaff-Reinet for business at the time of the raid, could later not be reached for comment.
Bursey has a Thatching business established in the Eastern Cape in 1990. The company boosts an excellent service record and many satisfied clients throughout the Eastern, Southern and Western Cape, up the West Coast and into the Little and Great Karoo. He is currently farming cattle, sheep and chicken.
His wife who accused the police of invading her privacy also refused to speak to the Daily Dispatch, asking the team to leave her premises immediately.
She watched in despair as a group of 12 police including those from the Search and Rescue, crime prevention, detectives and members of the Highway patrol unit searched every single unit of her property looking for clues. Two family members of the missing men also participated in the search and were barred from speaking to farm employees.
Later on a police chopper was roped in to assist in the search and spent about 45 minutes hovering around.
The dramatic raid that had farm employees and supervisors unsettled followed an incident last Tuesday morning where a taxi being driven by one of the missing man Viwe Busakwe, 40, of Mdantsane NU9 was found burnt near the farm.
It emerged Busakwe who was last seen driving the taxi last Monday night was in the company of Sakhumzi Sicatsha, 33, of Potsdam, Gqibelisile Myendeni, 29, of NU1 and an unidentified Ndevana man. The men were reported missing in Mdantsane NU1 and Vulindela police stations respectively last Thursday.
Taxi owner Xolani Maphuma said he had reported his taxi and driver missing on Tuesday and was later informed that a vehicle fitting the description was found reduced to a shell near Kentbury farm.
He alerted the family of the driver sparking fears the driver might have been killed.
Myendeni’s mother Phindile Kwitsana said she had visited the farm on Thursday accompanied by two constables.
Yesterday, a King William’s Town magistrate granted police a warrant to search the premises.
Police spokesman Captain Mluleki Mbi said police had hoped to find clues that may lead to the men being discovered.
During the search the police team had divided themselves into a group of three and spent four hours searching every width of the farm.
The search was called off when no clues could be found.
Vakele Busakwe said police had done their best.
“I am glad that I was able to come here and search for my brother myself. Everyone at home is worried, his phone has been off since last week and no one knows what is going on,” he said. — zwangam@dispatch.co.za